Cuban Who Fled Texas in 2003 Guilty in Drug Case

A Cuban who fled Texas in 2003 following his drug-smuggling arrest then turned up last fall bound in a vehicle faces up to 40 years in prison.

Prosecutors in McAllen on Tuesday announced 45-year-old Alexis Estevez-Alvarez of Havana has been convicted of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. A federal jury also found Estevez-Alvarez guilty of failure to appear.

Investigators in June 2003 discovered nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana in a shed near the suspect's home in Mercedes. Estevez-Alvarez was free on bond when he disappeared.

Estevez-Alvarez last October was found restrained and inebriated in the bed of a pickup truck at the Progreso Port of Entry. Investigators say someone drove Estevez-Alvarez into Texas, then returned to Mexico. Prosecutors didn't immediately provide additional details.

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